Ethology is the study of the behavior of various animal species. It is the zoological branch of biology, created by various naturalists that we will discuss in an upcoming article. We will explain how understanding the behavior of animals, including our own pets, is essential for living in harmony with them. And, more generally, taking into account the behavior of any animal, such as the wolf, is simply respecting nature and biodiversity. It is nothing less than ensuring the future of our world!
But what is an ethologist?
An ethologist is someone whose main qualities are observation, patience, and rigor.
The objective of this specialist is to understand the instinctive messages of the body. Instinct, meaning the hereditary and innate part or entirety of behaviors, behavioral tendencies, and hidden mechanisms of animals. When it comes to the wolf, we will discuss the species Canis lupus.
The work of an ethologist is to improve the well-being of the wolf, whether in captivity or in the wild. Going into the field and witnessing the ecological disasters caused by its disappearance in certain countries is a profound experience. Take, for example, the Hokkaido wolf (Canis lupus hattai), also known as the Ezo wolf, which is one of the extinct subspecies of the gray wolf. This wolf was similar in size to the common gray wolf. It had a large skull with long canines, and its fur was gray or gray-brown. It mainly fed on deer, rabbits, and birds. It was found on Hokkaido Island in Japan, as well as in Russia, Sakhalin Island, the Kamchatka Peninsula, and the Kuril Islands. The Hokkaido wolf disappeared during the Meiji Restoration in the second half of the 19th century. Considered a threat to livestock, this wolf was massacred through a bounty system for each killed wolf and a direct chemical extermination campaign. It was officially declared extinct in 1889.
Artificial intelligence translation of an original text by Sandrine Devienne.
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